4 cartel suspects killed during chase in Mexico days after ambush killed 5 officers in same area

Police in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas and federal forces killed four suspected criminals on Sunday during a chase in an area bordering Guatemala, the local government said. The incident unfolded just days after five police officers were killed in an ambush by an armed group in the same area.

A statement from the local Security Secretariat said the events occurred in the municipality of Frontera Comalapa after security forces were attacked while on a routine patrol.

“Authorities repelled the fire… and managed to kill four suspected members of organized crime,” the statement said.

Local media reported that the security forces may have entered Guatemalan territory during the pursuit.

Guatemalan Vice President Karin Herrera wrote on social media that “the border is under control” and that the army and police maintain “an active presence in the area to guarantee the protection and security of the population.”

The Chiapas Security Secretariat insisted that the operation took place within Mexico.

A source from the agency, who asked not to be identified, told AFP the dead were members of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

The Chiapas Security Secretariat said it seized four trucks, three AK-47 long guns and other weapons after the incident. The agency released images of trucks at the scene and some appeared to be riddled with bullet holes.

In recent months, Chiapas has been shaken by a bloody turf war between the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation cartel — the country’s two most powerful criminal organizations. 

Last week, five Chiapas state police officers patrolling the area were killed after they were ambushed by an armed group in Frontera Comalapa, according to the local Security Secretariat.

Authorities shared an image of the slain officers’ charred patrol vehicle after it was completely engulfed in flames on a roadway. Later, the agency announced on social media they had arrested a man in connection to the murders.

Criminal violence, most of it linked to drug trafficking, has claimed around 480,000 lives in Mexico since 2006 and left more than 120,000 people missing.